BTTH : Emperor Yang

Ahead stretched an endless and boundless desert, its horizon blending seamlessly with the sky.

"Tagore Desert… I finally arrived."

Wei Yang hovered in midair, his black wings lightly flapping behind him.

With his current strength at one-star Dou Ling, using his wings for flight had long reached a balance between consumption and recovery.

Moreover, due to his High-Level Xuan-Grade flight technique and the special materials of his wings, his speed and maneuverability far surpassed the standard Dou Qi Wings of an ordinary Dou Wang.

Even so, it had taken him a full seven days of continuous flight to reach the vast desert at the eastern border of the empire.

Nestled in his arms, a small, adorable head peeked out, curiously scanning the endless sea of sand. But as a scorching wind blew past, the little head quickly retracted.

Wei Yang chuckled at the sight and enveloped the little beauty in his embrace with a protective layer of crimson Dou Qi, shielding her from the harsh desert winds.

Upon entering the desert, the temperature rose significantly.

The sun above was particularly fierce, its blazing heat hanging high in the sky, baking the sands and making the daytime temperatures soar.

Yet, instead of discomfort, Wei Yang felt a sense of relief and vitality. His Dou Qi surged with renewed vigor, and the surrounding energy he could absorb was far more abundant than usual.

After carefully sensing his surroundings, he couldn't help but smile.

"The fire and earth attribute energy here make up more than eighty percent of the total! If I fight here, my combat strength will naturally increase by at least thirty percent!"

"If I were to cultivate here, my training speed would also be significantly faster."

Whoosh!

Flapping his wings, Wei Yang soared through the sky.

However, as he gazed around, seeing nothing but identical-looking sand dunes stretching in every direction, his expression grew a little awkward.

He suddenly realized that… he was lost.

Well, not entirely lost—he could still distinguish directions.

The problem was... he had no idea where Rock Desert City was.

"I should look around and see if I can find anyone."

Shaking his head, Wei Yang spread his wings and transformed into a streak of black and crimson light, dashing forward at high speed.

"Hmm?"

Not long after, he faintly sensed the fluctuations of a battle coming from a distance.

His gaze sharpened as he looked toward the source.

"It's over there."

Adjusting his course, he accelerated in that direction.

As he got closer, a battle came into view.

A few kilometers ahead, a group of mercenaries was fighting against a band of Snake-People.

Dou Qi of various colors clashed violently, sending sandstorms swirling into the air.

"Snake-People?"

Wei Yang quickly arrived above the battle and looked down.

The little girl in his arms also curiously poked her head out again to observe.

Below, in the desert sands, a group of about fifteen mercenaries wielding weapons was locked in combat with around twenty Snake-People, completely surrounded by them.

These Snake-People had human upper bodies but serpentine lower bodies, their scales shimmering in various colors.

"Hiss! Hiss!"

Their snake tails swished across the sand, producing a distinct sound—it was indeed the Snake-People Clan, unique to the Tagore Desert.

"So these are the Snake-People…"

Sweeping his gaze across the battlefield, Wei Yang noted that the males looked fierce and sinister, their pupils gleaming with a cold light, while the females were curvaceous and seductive, their charming figures accentuated by their exotic features.

Wei Yang couldn't help but sigh in admiration—it was his first time seeing the Snake-People in person, and his eyes involuntarily lingered on the voluptuous figures of some of the female Snake-People for a few extra seconds.

"Hiss—!"

Suddenly, a small hand pinched the soft flesh of his waist and twisted.

Wei Yang sucked in a sharp breath and hurriedly looked away.

"Hmph."

A dissatisfied snort came from the girl in his arms.

"I was just curious… just looking," Wei Yang quickly explained.

Shifting his gaze to the mercenaries, he carefully observed them.

There were fifteen of them—ten men and five women.

Their attire was noticeably different from the mercenaries found in the inner regions of the empire.

The men were mostly bare-chested, exposing their bronzed and muscular physiques, exuding an air of rugged strength and unrestrained wildness.

Two of them were even completely shirtless, their muscular frames radiating power.

At first glance, they gave off an impression of boldness and toughness.

The five women, on the other hand, had healthy wheat-colored skin and agile figures.

Unlike the more reserved women from the empire's interior, these desert women had a far bolder style.

Their tight leather outfits only covered the essential parts, leaving their upper chests, toned abs, and long, shapely legs completely exposed.

At this moment, both sides engaged in battle below also noticed Wei Yang's arrival.

"A Dou Wang expert?!"

The massive pair of black wings, spanning over two meters, made both factions jump in shock. They immediately ceased fighting and quickly separated into two distinct groups, standing in formation while vigilantly eyeing each other.

Swish!

Wei Yang's figure descended. As his feet touched the ground, he retracted his wings and dispersed the Dou Qi enveloping his body. At the same time, he gently placed down the delicate beauty in his arms.

"This...!?"

Seeing the newcomers clearly, both groups were stunned.

The young man wore an elegant black robe embroidered with golden patterns, his features sharp and handsome. The young girl beside him was clad in a simple white dress, her beauty ethereal, exuding an air of purity.

But the most shocking thing was—

They were too young!

The young man looked no older than sixteen or seventeen, while the girl appeared even younger, around fourteen or fifteen at most.

Their auras were completely restrained, devoid of any imposing presence, making them seem just like ordinary people.

Yet, no one present was foolish enough to believe that these two were truly ordinary.

At the very least, the black-robed youth was definitely anything but normal.

A joke! The guy had already achieved Dou Qi Flight!

A sixteen or seventeen-year-old Dou Wang?!

This was utterly inconceivable.

But reality was right before their eyes.

Compared to the snake-people, the human mercenaries—though still wary—felt a sense of relief.

After all, the new arrivals were clearly human.

The snake-people, on the other hand, frowned. Though their apprehension grew, they weren't entirely afraid.

That was because both humans and snake-people had an unspoken understanding—high-level powerhouses would not casually slaughter the weak.

As long as one didn't court death, the strong generally wouldn't act against the weak.

…

Wei Yang's gaze swept across both sides before finally stopping on the group of human mercenaries.

Suddenly, his brows furrowed, and beside him, Ye Xian'er's face also showed a trace of disgust.

Among the snake-people, a few lecherous gazes had discreetly roamed over Ye Xian'er's slender waist before quickly retracting.

Wei Yang almost found it amusing.

It was well known that snake-people were lustful, frequently capturing human women for their own pleasure. But to be this blatant?

With his powerful soul perception, his gaze instantly locked onto the few male snake-people responsible.

Sensing Wei Yang's attention, the snake-men who had been secretly ogling suddenly trembled in fear, their faces paling.

Damn! They hadn't controlled their eyes!

"Hmph!"

With a casual flick of his wrist, five rapidly rotating, crimson-hot streaks of light shot out from his fingertips.

Blazing Fire Stab!

A modified and enhanced version of the High-Level Huang-Grade Wind Stab, its power had been elevated to a Low-Level Xuan-Grade Dou Technique.

"My lord, spare me—"

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

The snake-men who had been peeking barely had time to beg for mercy before the crimson streaks of light pierced clean through their foreheads.

The wounds were as large as an egg, creating hollow openings from front to back as their lifeless bodies collapsed to the ground.

Wei Yang's voice was calm as he spoke, "Fools who don't know their place."

Silence!

Everyone stared in terror at what had just unfolded.

The leading snake-man, his triangular pupils filled with fear and barely suppressed rage, hesitated before speaking in a cold, raspy voice, "My lord, isn't this excessive? Slaughtering my snake-people like this… Are you not afraid of our Queen—"

"Oh? Are you threatening me?"

Wei Yang interrupted him, his voice indifferent, his gaze turning ice-cold.

If they couldn't control their own eyes, then killing them was only natural.

So what if Medusa came?

"...I wouldn't dare."

The snake-man leader suddenly felt an immense sense of danger envelop him. A chilling sensation flooded his body, as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over him.

His rage extinguished instantly, and he lowered his head.

The other snake-people also followed suit, bowing their heads.

For that brief moment just now, they had felt a deathly chill crawl from their spines straight to their skulls, their entire bodies turning ice-cold.

Seeing this, Wei Yang withdrew his gaze and no longer paid them any attention. Instead, his eyes fell back onto the human mercenaries.

Feeling his gaze upon them, the dozen or so mercenaries involuntarily shivered.

Then, a calm and gentle voice sounded:

"Can anyone tell me how to get to Rock Desert City?"